The Grapevine

National Gallery West Premieres ‘The Price of Memory’ in Montego Bay

nationalgalleryofjamaica's avatarNational Gallery of Jamaica

Price of Memory flyer - smaller

The Montego Bay Cultural Centre and National Gallery West are pleased to present the Montego Bay premiere of the documentary ‘The Price of Memory,’ a documentary film by Karen Marks Mafundikwa, on Saturday, October 18, starting at 7 pm, at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre, Sam Sharpe Square. The film maker will be in attendance to introduce the film and to answer questions afterwards. Admission will be free but donations in support of the Montego Bay Cultural Centre programmes will be gratefully accepted.

Filmed over the span of eleven years, ‘The Price of Memory’ explores the legacy of slavery in the UK and Jamaica and the initiatives and debates surrounding reparations. The film starts in 2002, with Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Jamaica as part of her Golden Jubilee celebrations, when she is petitioned by a small group of Rastafari for slavery reparations. The film traces this petition and the…

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ARTICLES: Material Cultures of Slavery in British Caribbean

Jessica Marie Johnson's avatar#ADPhD

“French Set-Girls,” in Isaac Mendes Belisario, Sketches of character, in illustration of the habits, occupation, and costume of the Negro population, in the island of Jamaica: drawn after nature, and in lithography (Kingston, Jamaica: published by the artist, at his residence, 1837-1838). http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/Slavery/detailsKeyword.php?keyword=jamaica&recordCount=100&theRecord=1

Special Issue: Material Cultures of Slavery and Abolition in the British Caribbean

Edited by Christer Petley and Stephan Lenik

Stephan Lenik and Christer Petley, ‘Introduction: The Material Cultures of Slavery and Abolition in the British Caribbean’

Section I – Planters, workers and the development of plantation space

1. Douglas V. Armstrong and Matthew C. Reilly, ‘The Archaeology of Settler Farms and Early Plantation Life in Seventeenth-Century Barbados’

2. Stephanie Bergman and Frederick H. Smith, ‘Blurring Disciplinary Boundaries: The Material Culture of Improvement during the Age of Abolition in Barbados’

3. Christer Petley, ‘Plantations and Homes: The Material Culture of the Early Nineteenth-Century Jamaican Elite’

Section II – Material inequalities and practices inside enslaved communities

4. Justin Roberts, ‘The “Better Sort” and the “Poorer Sort”: Wealth Inequalities, Family Formation and the Economy of Energy on British Caribbean Sugar Plantations, 1750-1800’

5. James A. Delle and Kristen R. Fellows, ‘Death and Burial…

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JOB: Tenure-Track Position in African American Art @ UAlabama

The Department of Art and Art History at the University of Alabama seeks to appoint a faculty member at the rank of Assistant Professor in the area of African American art with a sub- or co-specialty in the art of the broader African diaspora. Expertise in African American art of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is preferred, with the ability to teach a broad temporal range of material desired. This is a tenure track position. Primary instructional responsibilities include teaching existing and developing new courses in the history of African American art and art of the African diaspora, as well as graduate seminars in area(s) of specialization.

The University of Alabama is home to the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art, a nationally renowned collection with a focus on twentieth-century African American art, and the successful candidate will serve a pivotal role in developing and sustaining faculty, student, and community engagement with that collection. Other responsibilities include advising students; participating actively in the graduate program; developing and maintaining a strong record of scholarly research with publications and service to the profession; and engaging in departmental, college, and university service.

Questions about this search should be directed to the Search Chair, Dr. Tanja Jones (tljones10@as.ua.edu). Review of applications will begin on 1/12/15 and will continue until the position is filled.

Details for applying can be found at: https://facultyjobs.ua.edu/postings/36075

The Ku Klux Klan’s Images of Race, circa 2014

Yesterday’s New York Times included a story, “At Gateway to Hamptons, Ku Klux Klan Advertises for New Members,” by Al Baker. Here’s a link to Baker’s story, which rightly focuses on the undeniably anti-immigrant impetus behind contemporary flyers and pamphlets produced by the Klan:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/30/nyregion/at-gateway-to-hamptons-ku-klux-klan-advertises-for-new-members.html?_r=0

I want to draw attention to one of the images that accompanied Baker’s story: Times photographer Nicole Bengiveno’s photo poignantly captures a pair of brown-skinned hands holding the Klan recruitment letter and hate-mongering caricatures. What’s striking is the Klan’s reliance on undying, racist iconography, which communicates the group’s belief that it’s still legible and viable in the twenty-first century:

KKK NY_Beware 2014

That visual strategies–exaggerations and distortions of ethno-cultural physiognomies and the marshaling of symbols attached to class and national types–still work in nativist discourse makes clear that racialization is always dependent on representation.

JOB: Assistant Professor, Contemporary Art @ California State University, East Bay (CSUEB)

DEPARTMENT OF ART

FULL-TIME TENURE-TRACK

*OAA Position No. 15-16 ART-ARTHISTORY-TT

THE UNIVERSITY: California State University, East Bay (CSUEB) is known for award-winning programs, expert instruction, a diverse student body of over 14,000 students, and a choice of more than 100 career-focused fields of study. The University has campuses in Hayward, Contra Costa County, Online, and in Oakland, California. Our 600 faculty offer bachelor’s degrees in 42 fields, minors in 62 fields, master’s degrees in 36 fields, and 1 doctoral degree program. http://www20.csueastbay.edu/

THE DEPARTMENT: The Department of Art serves over 420 Art majors and offers the BA and BFA degrees in several option areas including art history and an MA in Multimedia. Please visit our website at http://www20.csueastbay.edu/class/departments/art/

DUTIES OF THE POSITION: Teaching and curriculum development in art history in the areas of contemporary, modern, and world art history. Recruiting potential students for the Department of Art through building and maintaining connections with community and professional organizations as well as local community colleges. Maintain a continuous record of professional activity (e.g. scholarly work) commensurate with assigned teaching and other duties as required by University retention, tenure, and Promotion policies and procedures. Please note that teaching assignments at California State University, East Bay include courses at the Hayward, Concord and Online campuses. In addition to teaching, all faculty have advising responsibilities, assist the department with administrative and/or committee work, and are expected to assume campus-wide committee responsibilities.

RANK AND SALARY: Assistant Professor. Salary is dependent upon educational preparation and experience. Subject to budgetary authorization.

DATE OF APPOINTMENT: Fall Quarter, 2015

QUALIFICATIONS: Candidate must have earned a doctorate in art history no later than the effective date of the appointment. Candidates must have a demonstrated record of scholarly achievement specializing in contemporary, modern art and theory. Scholarly achievement or work in contemporary art and new media are preferred. Scholarly achievement or work in world art, ethnicity in art, and gender topics in art are preferred. Candidates should demonstrate experience in teaching, mentoring, research, or community service that has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and excellence. Additionally, applicants must demonstrate a record of scholarly activity. This University is fully committed to the rights of students, staff and faculty with disabilities in accordance with applicable state and federal laws. For more information about the University’s program supporting the rights of our students with disabilities see: http://www20.csueastbay.edu/af/departments/as/

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Evaluation of applicants will begin October 1, 2014 and continue until the position is filled. Please submit a letter of application, which addresses the qualifications noted in the position announcement; a complete and current vita; a statement of teaching interests/philosophy; and three (3) letters of recommendation at:
https://my.csueastbay.edu/psp/pspdb1/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL

NOTE: California State University, East Bay hires only individuals lawfully authorized to work in the United States. All offers of employment are contingent upon presentation of documents demonstrating the appointee’s identity and eligibility to work, in accordance with the provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act. If you are considered as a finalist for the position, you may be subject to a background check.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, CSUEB does not discriminate on the basis of any protected categories: age, ancestry, citizenship, color, disability, gender, immigration status, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran’s status. The University is committed to the principles of diversity in employment and to creating a stimulating learning environment for its diverse student body.

CFP: “Black Arts United States: Institutions and Interventions” @ Northwestern University

“Black Arts United States: Institutions and Interventions”
June 4 -6, 2015
Northwestern University

Black expressive culture in the United States has a long and contested history whose boundaries are almost impossible to qualify and whose animating forces continue to evolve. Yet the African American arts—whether film, theater, dance, visual art, music, literature, or performance—necessarily tack between the pull of tradition and the push toward innovation, a dynamic often reflected in the processes through which artistic practices are codified as either conventional or transgressive at any given moment. Such designations both illuminate the historical conditions in which black art is produced and determine what practices come to be circulated, canonized, denigrated, or forgotten.

Bringing together artists, scholars, activists, administrators, and representatives of arts organizations, this cross-disciplinary conference aims to reconsider how
we understand what constitutes an intervention within the black arts, and how such interventions come into contact with mainstream and culturally specific
institutional frames. Given the vexed conditions in which black aesthetic practice now unfolds—thanks to a shrinking public sphere increasingly shaped by market forces rather than cultural expertise—these concerns seem particularly pressing today, but they are part and parcel of that much longer history of black subjects’ coming to voice within American culture.

Accordingly, the conference organizing committee welcomes proposals on the following themes:
• The relationship between tradition and innovation in the black arts
• The role of “mainstream” institutions in shaping black artistic histories
• The history of black arts institutions in the United States and the challenges facing them today
• The politics of institutionally funded artists versus independent artists
• The relationship between academic institutions and communities relative to black artistic production
• New understandings of cross-institutional collaborations
• Alternative networks for institutionalizing the black arts
• Interventions into, critiques of, and/or resistance to institutions
• The impact of criticism on the valuation of black art
• The impact of audience expectation on black artistic production in an age of new media
• Governmentality versus marketability of the black arts
• Spatial and temporal assumptions about black arts
• Non-urban spaces for black art production
• Black arts and the environment
• Black arts and/as activism
• Black arts as commodity
• Black arts and political economy
• Black arts as a site of resistance
• Black arts and the public sphere

Please submit a proposal (250 words or less) for individual papers of 15 – 20 minutes (approx. 8 – 10 double spaced pages in length) or visual presentations (short films, performances, videos), along with audio/video needs and a 2-page CV highlighting research and experience germane to the proposed presentation to bai@northwestern.edu by December 5, 2014.

Please include “BAI Conference Proposal” in the subject line. Participants will be notified of acceptance or rejection of the proposal by January 16, 2015.

The Black Arts Initiative (BAI) at Northwestern University cultivates an interdisciplinary approach to black arts. Launched in 2012, BAI seeks to engage myriad perspectives, strengthen Northwestern’s involvement in black arts, and connect with a broader community of scholars, practitioners and community members through research, pedagogy, practice, and civic & community engagement. You can learn more about us at our website: www.bai.northwestern.edu

FEL: Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow @ Museum of Art, RISD

Be a part of the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design. The Museum acquires, preserves, exhibits, and interprets works of art and design representing diverse cultures from ancient times to the present. Distinguished by its relationship to Rhode Island School of Design, the Museum educates and inspires artists, designers, students, scholars, and the general public through exhibitions, programs, and publications.

As an employer, RISD offers a supportive, collegial and inclusive work environment and a competitive benefits package.

The Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design is pleased to announce a fellowship funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for an outstanding junior scholar who wishes to pursue a curatorial career. The Mellon Fellow will be fully integrated into the Museum’s Department of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs. The Fellow will have access to the museum collections and research libraries in the region and will enjoy all the professional privileges of the museum’s staff. The Fellow will be expected to participate in strengthening the Museum’s engagement with the academic curricula at Brown University and RISD.

Core Activities
Become familiar with the collection’s 24,000 works on paper and undertake research in area of expertise. Supervise the Museum’s active study room for prints, drawings, and photographs. Assist with departmental exhibitions, catalogue new acquisitions, give regular presentations to classes and gallery talks, answer queries about the collection, and interact with scholars, students and the public on matters concerning the collection. Work with the two department curators to help develop collaboration with faculty at RISD and Brown University to encourage greater use of the collection in classes and individual study. In collaboration with a faculty member from Brown and/or RISD, propose an exhibition to be presented in the third year. Travel with the department’s curators to explore potential acquisitions, and to attend scholarly conferences and relevant exhibitions. Assist with management of day to day departmental activities as assigned.

Eligibility
Ph.D. (or ABD) or equivalent in Art History or closely related field, with demonstrated interest in and knowledge of the history of the graphic arts. Strong communication skills and museum or teaching experience are essential. Knowledge of a European language is highly desirable.

Terms
The Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow is a three-year fellowship. The Fellow receives an annual salary plus benefits and travel and research funds. The appointment will begin in January 2015.

Application and Deadline
For more information about RISD and to apply online, please visit http://www.risd.edu/jobs. Review of applications begins immediately, and will continue until the position is filled. Candidates who submit their materials by September 1, 2014 will be assured full consideration. A complete application will consist of:

  • A letter of interest
  • A curriculum vitae
  • A statement describing the applicant’s area of research and potential relationship to the museum’s collections
  • A copy of a published paper or a writing sample
  • Three letters of recommendation, including the names and contact information for references

For more information about RISD and to APPLY ONLINE, please visit our website at http://www.risd.edu/jobs. RISD is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Anything With Nothing: Kemar Black

nationalgalleryofjamaica's avatarNational Gallery of Jamaica

Kemar Black at work on The Creation Kemar Black at work on The Creation

Kingston-based Fashion designer, musician and street artist is one of 10 artists presently featured in the National Gallery of Jamaica’s Anything with Nothing exhibition. Below is a short interview with him, produced with much-appreciated assistance from the African-Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank.

An artist and entrepreneur from “up-town and down-town”, Black was associated with Roktowa, an arts initiative based in the old Red Stripe Brewery on West Street. He designs dancehall fashion and writes music and poetry. For the exhibition he has painted four large scale versions of his dancehall fashion drawings entitled The Creation.

Kemar had the following to say: “…Doing artwork from the day my mother shove me out the womb – from me born me ah artist – from day one. Am mostly self-taught but my father is an artist, Winston Black, for years I always see my father…

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SMBH Photography Call: ‘The Face of Latin America’. Deadline: Aug. 1, 2014

JOB: Assistant Professor, Tenure-track, American Art 1945-Present @ University of Delaware

The Department of Art History at the University of Delaware invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track assistant professor in the history of art from 1945 to the present with specialization in American art. We seek candidates who approach the history of American art within a global context. We are committed to hiring a scholar who shows exceptional promise as an intellectual leader. In addition to pursuing an ambitious research agenda, the appointee will teach undergraduate and graduate courses from the mid-twentieth century to the present and supervise masters and doctoral students.

The successful applicant will join a department about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its establishment and its doctoral program. Recognized as a leader in American art and architectural history, the department offers comprehensive training in the historical and geographical scope of the discipline and recently launched a Curatorial Track Ph.D. program. The ideal candidate will enhance these strengths and engage University-wide initiatives in globalism, diversity, public humanities, and/or digital humanities. The University of Delaware offers many opportunities for interdisciplinary outreach, including partnerships with the departments of Art, Art Conservation, Black American Studies, Women and Gender Studies, and the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, as well as programs in area studies, design, Museum Studies, and the University Museums. We seek a faculty member who will make the most of these collaborative opportunities.

Founded in 1743, the University of Delaware is one of the nation’s oldest institutions of higher education and combines tradition and innovation. Please visit our website at www.udel.edu. The University of Delaware is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from minority group members and women.

The appointment will begin on September 1, 2015. Ph.D. required. Application deadline: September 12, 2014. Applicants should visit www.udel.edu/udjobs and read “Applicant Instructions” under the “Resources for Applicants” tab before submitting their application. Applicants are asked to create and upload a single document that includes a cover letter and a c.v. Please also arrange for one writing sample and three letters of recommendation to be sent via e-mail or regular mail by September 12 to Professor Wendy Bellion, Chair, Search Committee, Department of Art History, 318 Old College, 18 East Main Street, Newark, Delaware 19716-2516 (wbellion@udel.edu). Incomplete dossiers will not be reviewed. Application materials will be shared with the faculty of the Department of Art History.